Horses made a big change in the way Utes live. It allowed the Utes to travel further and quicker. They developed trade relationships with the Spanish and tribes that used to be out of reach. Contact with the Spanish caused the Ute children to be captured as slaves, which caused the Utes to captured members of other tribes, such as Paiutes. They would use them to exchange them with the Spanish for horses, guns, and other goods. As the result of slave trade, violence between the Utes, Paiutes, and Navajos became frequent.

The Valley was occupied between the Utes and Shoshones, but when the Mormons came to Salt Lake Valley, they quickly expanded into Ute territory. They fought each other for the land. At the request of Mormons, Abraham Lincoln established the Uintah Valley Reservation for the Utes to live there. The congress confirmed this order, but the government made a few efforts to force the Utes onto the reservation.


Utes and Shosone
Utes and Shosone